The Central Government has rejected claims and allegations that the new definition of the Aravalli mountain range will allow large-scale mining in the area. The Centre cited a Supreme Court–ordered freeze on new mining leases in the region and stressed that 90% of the Aravali hills will remain protected. Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Sunday said that no relaxation has been granted with regards to the protection of the Aravalli regions and claimed that lies were being spread on the issue.
No relaxation on the Aravalis
Addressing the controversy around the Supreme Court order, Yadav said, “There are no relaxations on the Aravalli. The Aravalli range spans four states: Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat. A petition regarding it has been pending in court since 1985.” The Union Minister added that misinformation was being peddled on the matter. “Some YouTube channels misinterpret the 100-meter range as the top 100 meters, which is not true. The 100 meters refer to the spread of the hill from top to bottom, and a gap between two ranges will also be considered part of the Aravalli range. With this definition, 90 percent of the area comes under the protected zone,” he said.
Mining to remain tightly regulated
Yadav further claimed that mining in the region will remain tightly regulated. He said, “Mark my words, the total Aravalli area is about 1.47 lakh square kilometers. Only around 217 square kilometers, nearly two percent, is eligible for mining. Even so, the Supreme Court has directed that a management plan for sustainable mining be prepared. After that, permission from ICFRE will be required before any activity can proceed.” He further stressed that mining in the Delhi Aravalli is completely prohibited. “All protected areas and forest reserves will remain as they are in Delhi. Our government has been running a Green Aravalli programme for the past two years. We are very considerate about the Aravalli, and a false narrative is being created.”
On November 20, the Supreme Court of India accepted the Centre’s definition of the Aravalli hills and approved recommendations for sustainable mining. The top court also directed the Environment Ministry to prepare a detailed management plan for sustainable mining.
The plans will also include the identification of permissible zones, protection of ecologically sensitive areas, and measures to prevent illegal mining across the Aravalli landscape.
